Generally, the present invention relates to a hard disk drive, and in particular to a structure of a hard disk drive slider, which flies above a rotating disk and avoids adhesion and absorption of dust or the like onto a disk facing surface of the slider.
A hard disk drive (HDD) uses rotating disks that are coated with a film of magnetic data recording material. Each disk is associated with at least one magnetic read/write head (magnetic head) that is supported very close to the surface of the disk. When the read/write head is moved relative to the disk, data can be read from or written on the disk.
A magnetic head has a slider including a portion from/in which data is read/written magnetically. The slider is prevented from contacting the surface of the magnetic disk by an air cushion produced by the rotating disk adjacent to the disk facing surface of the slider. While the disk is rotating, particles are apt to gather and stick to the disk facing surface of the slider. If such particles fall on the disk, which is facing the slider, they will physically scratch the surface of the disk. To avoid such a problem, the slider must be configured to prevent such contamination.
Under such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a slider to fly above a rotating disk so as to prevent the disk facing surface of the slider from particulate contamination.
An object of the present invention, as described above, will be achieved by a magnetic head which is characterized as follows. The magnetic head has a left side rail (140, 240) formed on a disk facing surface (100, 200) in a protruded manner, and a right side rail (150, 250) formed on the disk facing surface (100, 200) in a protruded manner. A cross rail (110, 210) formed on the disk facing surface (100, 200) also protrudes and is elongated continuously to both the left side rail (140, 240) and the right side rail (150, 250).
A left air bearing surface (120, 220) is formed on the disk facing surface (100, 200) in a protruded manner, and formed only on a side of a leading edge (102, 202) continuously from the left side rail. The left air bearing surface (120, 220) has a continuous portion (124, 225) to the left side rail, and a right air bearing surface (130, 230) which is formed on the disk facing surface (100, 200) in a protruded manner, formed only on a side of the leading edge (102, 202) continuously from the right side rail. In addition, left air bearing surface (120, 220) has a continuous portion (134, 235) to the right side rail, wherein a recessed portion (190, 290) is constructed on the disk facing surface so as to be surrounded by the left side rail (140, 240), the left air bearing surface (120, 220), the cross rail (110, 210), the right air bearing surface (130, 230), and the right side rail (150, 250). At least part of the recessed portion can produce negative pressure. And furthermore, a degree of the protrusion of the left side rail (140, 240) or the right side rail (150, 250) is larger than a degree of the protrusion of the recessed portion (190, 290), but smaller than a degree of the protrusion of the left air bearing surface (120, 220) or the right air bearing surface (130, 230).